


Dancing and disappearing

by All_for_the_andreil



Series: Eden’s troubles [4]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, POV Andrew Minyard, Worried Andrew Minyard, protective!Andrew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25763581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_for_the_andreil/pseuds/All_for_the_andreil
Summary: The monsters are in Eden’s and Neil disappears. Andrew is definitely not panicking (he is panicking so hard).
Relationships: Andrew Minyard/Neil Josten
Series: Eden’s troubles [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1821814
Comments: 10
Kudos: 378





	Dancing and disappearing

Andrew doesn’t dance. No matter how hard Nicky tries to persuade him to join them on the dance floor or how much he’s drunk, he does not dance. He doesn’t feel like being so close to other people and the mere idea of someone, anyone, touching him, either on accident or on purpose, makes him want to gag.

Apparently Neil doesn’t share his distaste and after Nicky begs him for the hundredth time, he finally gives in. Andrew isn’t excited about the prospect of Neil (who looks _ridiculously_ hot in his new clothes) in the crowd of drunk people, but it’s Neil decision, not his, and he’s not going to stop him.

“Are you sure you don’t want to dance with me?” Neil asks with a small smile.

Andrew almost, just almost, agrees. He can practically see it – Neil flushed against his own body, swaying his hips to the rhythm of the music, his blue eyes wide and bright and he’s smiling and… Andrew shakes his head. “I’m sure.”

Neil doesn’t take the rejection personally. He never does. He just promises to be back soon and follows Nicky and Aaron, leaving Andrew at the bar.

Andrew turns to Roland, forcing himself to not eye Neil. He’s going to kill Nicky if something happens to the idiot.

“Why didn’t you go with your boyfriend?” Roland asks and Andrew doesn’t miss the smug smile on his face.

He rolls his eyes. “You know why. And don’t call him that.”

Roland huffs a laugh. “Come on, what do you have against the term boyfriend?”

Andrew gives him a warning look. He doesn’t like labels. It makes things more real. But Roland doesn’t need to know that.

Fortunately the bar is busy and Roland doesn’t have time to interrogate Andrew more about his relationship with Neil, for which is Andrew grateful.

He’s drinking his second glass of whiskey when Nicky comes back with Aaron tailing behind him.

“Where’s Neil?” Nicky asks.

Andrew seizes him. “Does your memory fail you? Neil was with _you_ ,” he reminds him drily.

Nicky frowns. “Yeah, I know, but he suddenly disappeared. I thought he just went back to you.” Andrew glowers at him and Nicky crouches under his glare a bit. “He didn’t?”

Andrew is going to kill someone very soon. Maybe Nicky. Possibly Neil. Well, he’ll have to find him first.

He suppresses the urge to hit Nicky for letting Neil out of his sight. “Go check with the bouncers,” he tells Nicky through gritted teeth and stands up. “Call me if you find him.”

Andrew doesn’t wait for Nicky to nod as he makes his way towards the bathroom. He doesn’t really believe he’s going to find Neil there, but he has to start somewhere. He dials Neil’s number as he goes, but of course the idiot turned his phone off. Andrew is so going to kill him.

He doesn’t want to think about the last time he lost Neil. He doesn’t want to think about the riot and the sinking feeling in his stomach when he found Neil’s duffel bag abandoned on the pavement.

Technically, he knows Neil probably wasn’t kidnapped by the mafia again, but it doesn’t ease the worry by much, because Andrew is very well aware of other dangers that he could get into. It wasn’t so long since someone tried to drug Andrew himself. It didn’t knock Andrew out, since his long history with meds, but he’s sure Neil wouldn’t handle it that well and Andrew doesn’t want to even imagine what could happen if someone drugged Neil. Oh, he would actually murder someone.

The bathroom is empty, no sign of his stupid junkie. Andrew runs his hand through his hair in despair, but it’s getting hard to stop himself from panicking.

He wonders where else he should check, when his phone starts ringing. _It has to be Nicky_ , he thinks hopefully. _They got Neil._

But when he fishes out his phone, the name on the display belongs to Neil himself.

Andrew doesn’t know whether to feel relieved or even more anxious but he quickly takes the call. “Neil?”

“Andrew.”

Andrew exhales a breath he didn’t know he’s been holding. “Where the fuck are you?” He growls.

“I… um… in the alley behind the bar,” Neil admits slowly.

Andrew doesn’t waste his time. “Wait there,” he orders Neil sharply and ends the call. He manages to quickly text Nicky that he’s got Neil as he basically runs to meet Neil.

Neil’s standing in the alley, leaning on the wall, patiently waiting. Andrew is so focused on Neil that he almost doesn’t see the body lying at Neil’s feet.

Andrew instantly goes for his knives, but the guy on the ground doesn’t seem to move. He’s probably unconscious. Or dead. Andrew doesn’t care.

Neil walks from the shadow into the light of the streetlamp and Andrew notices a bruise sprawled on Neil’s cheek.

“What the hell happened?” He demands as he takes Neil’s chin to tilt his head, so he can inspect the wound. Now that he’s closer, he can see Neil’s trembling.

“I’m sorry,” Neil manages.

“Shut up,” Andrew hisses. “I asked what happened.”

“I needed some air and the guy just appeared out of nowhere and he… he grabbed me and he tried to…” Neil shakes his head and Andrew grits his teeth. “I pushed him away. Sort of. He hit his head on the wall.”

“And this?” Andrew asks, his eyes fixed on Neil’s cheek.

“It’s nothing,” Neil assures him. Andrew narrows his eyes at him and Neil sighs. “He hit me when I struggled.”

Andrew gazes down at the guy on the ground. He’s big and strong looking and Andrew has to admire Neil for fighting him off.

“Did he touch you?” Andrew asks sharply, almost shaking with anger. He can’t get the actual question out of his mouth, but Neil understands.

Neil shakes his head. “No.”

Andrew isn’t that easily fooled. “ _Neil_.”

“He didn’t,” Neil insists. “I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“Says the liar,” Andrew mumbles but then tugs Neil closer and wraps his arms tightly around his body. He isn’t a big fan of hugs, but he can make an exception. Neil certainly doesn’t protest, he leans into Andrew’s touch and buries his face into Andrew’s shoulder, not touching him otherwise.

Andrew swears Neil is going to be his death.

“Can we go home?” Neil asks when Andrew pulls away.

Andrew nods and calls Nicky. They leave the guy lying there. Neither of them cares enough to do anything about him. Nicky asks about Neil as soon as the call connects, but Andrew only tells him to get the rest and go to car and ends the call instead of answering, so when they come out of the club and Nicky sees Neil’s alive, he is very excited. “Neil!” He yells and wants to hug him.

Andrew is quick to put a stop to that, seeing how Neil flinches away from Nicky. “Don’t touch him.”

Nicky cleverly obeys. He gazes between Neil and Andrew. “Are you okay?” He asks Neil.

“I’m fine,” Neil assures him. Andrew wonders if it’s too late to kill him.

“Jesus, I thought Andrew was going to murder someone,” Nicky mentions with weak laugh.

Neil beams at Andrew when he hears that. Andrew only rolls his eyes, wordlessly telling him to fuck off.

He drives them all home and as soon as they get to the house, he drags Neil to the kitchen to get him an icepack for the bruise.

“It’s just a bruise, Drew. I’ve had worse,” Neil mentions amusedly when he catches Andrew’s look.

“Shut up, Josten.”

“But you’re cute when you’re worried,” Neil continues teasingly.

Andrew throws him a warning glance. “I will deck you.”

Neil smirks. “You wouldn’t.”

“What do you know.”

“I know you would never hurt me.”

Andrew sighs. That is true. “Don’t pull shit like that again,” he says and hands Neil the icepack.

Neil smiles. “I’ll do my best.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading <3


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